


On Violet Hills We Lay

by Jenshih_Blue



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, M/M, Wincest - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-21
Updated: 2012-07-21
Packaged: 2017-11-10 10:52:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/465460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jenshih_Blue/pseuds/Jenshih_Blue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the screen goes black, the story doesn’t end, it just begins. What if Ruby wasn't out to betray Sam? And what if Sam was something far more than a man tainted with demon blood?</p>
            </blockquote>





	On Violet Hills We Lay

**Author's Note:**

> An AU Post S3 Supernatural Finale Story
> 
> Inspired by Cold Play’s song Violet Hill. This one goes out to all the peeps that slipped away into a state of disbelief and emotional breaks after the S3 finale. Originally posted at Live Journal in May 2008.

When the demons began to flee their human bodies in plumes of black smoke, Bobby had no idea what to make of it, but then he heard the screams. “Sam,” he nearly choked on the name of the boy he considered one of his own as it dawned on him. It was just a few seconds past midnight and Bobby being who he was knew that the hounds had finally come for the other boy. “Dean.” His eyes filled with tears for the first time in a long time as he ran across the room, worn boots skidding on the slick hardwood. 

It wasn’t just screams. It was the sound of a child, pleading for the life of the only one they loved he heard, and with each step closer he came to the scene another crack splintered his heart. Dean didn’t deserve this and neither did Sam. They’d both lost so much in their short lives to the darkness. He just turned a corner when a blinding flash of white heat exploded from the room, where Sam’s tearful pleas echoed. Bobby hit the ground on instinct alone. An old soldier knew power when he saw it. He flung one arm across his eyes and rolled back across the floor to shield his body behind the wall from the energy that filled the air above his head.

Silence filled every crack and corner, a dead white noise that Bobby knew all too well from his time crawling through rice patties, and praying to a God he later denounced when he lost his beloved wife to the darkness. Bobby Singer had seen darkness of all kinds, had suffered loss that burned brighter than any light, and he’d known fear, but what he saw next confirmed what he’d suspected all along.

The light faded away until there was nothing, but the silence then in the same breathe he heard Ruby’s voice and his instincts told him that although it was her voice, it wasn’t Ruby speaking. She stepped back into his line of vision as he lifted his head from where it rested on his arms.

“No…”

There was a fear in her voice that he’d heard from many a stone cold soldier in the jungles and fields of Vietnam. It was the sound of all too human desperation. The desire and need to escape from the horrors that often played out before their disbelieving eyes.

Hands held out in front of her she continued to back away, “…get back…get back.”

Then he heard Sam’s voice, “I don’t think so.” 

A coldness that he’d prayed he would never hear had seeped into the kid’s voice. Sam had always been the emotional one on the outside, the softhearted one, but now the boy that Bobby had known was gone. Pushing up from the floor, he looked back in time to see Ruby throw her head back, a plume of dark smoke exploding from her lips in a terrified scream. As the smoke dispersed, her body crumpled to the floor and Bobby cautiously moved the short distance to the open doors.

What he saw sent a wave of grief through him that he’d not experienced since his wife’s death.

Sam was kneeling in a pool of blood, back to the door, and Dean’s ravaged body cradled in his arms. On the floor, near Ruby’s seemingly lifeless body was her knife, dim light flickering off the blood stained blade. He stepped around her and squatted down, his trembling fingers curling around the hilt as he picked it up and stood to step closer. Over Sam’s shoulder, he could see Dean’s pale face, eyes wide, and lifeless, blood spattered in crimson droplets across his face. He bowed his head, tugging off his cap, and tears trailing down his cheeks to fall to the floor.

“No,” Sam’s voice was faint, filled with a grief that only one brother could have for another. “Dean, please…no.” He sat back on his heels and began rocking, Dean’s face now hidden in the crook of his shoulder. 

Rubbing one hand over his face, Bobby cleared his throat, “Sam?” He didn’t even flinch gave no sign that he’d heard Bobby’s quiet plea. “Son, we have to get out of here. Ain’t nothin’ can be done for him now.” the words stuck in his throat as he silently cursed God for allowing this to happen. Only a year before he’d been witness to Dean’s grief over Sam now the rolls had reversed. 

Slowly Sam pulled himself to his feet, Dean cradled in his arms, and blood dripping down to add to the pool that now covered most of the floor. “It’s going to be okay, Dean.” 

“Sammy,” Bobby started then halted mid-sentence as Sam spun on him.

Solid white eyes, glared at him from Sam’s tear streaked face. “Don’t call me that,” the coldness was back as he stepped around Bobby. “Only Dean can call me that. Bring Ruby, we’re leaving.”

Swallowing hard, Bobby glanced down at Ruby’s still body then tucked the blade in his belt and knelt, lifting her into his arms. Whatever had happened in this room, he hoped that Lilith had gotten what she wanted so desperately. Because he knew without a doubt, that she wouldn’t get a second chance.

***

The drive was long and seemingly endless that night. Sam, or whatever Sam had become, had wrapped Dean’s body in blankets, and tucked him in the back seat of the Impala with gentleness that awed Bobby. Without a word, Sam turned to him those eerie eyes studying him for a moment before he got behind the wheel. He started the engine and let the car idle until Bobby had tucked Ruby in the back seat of his own. As soon as Bobby had the car started, Sam shifted into drive, and took off wheels shrieking and leaving skid marks behind in a cloud of smoke.

How long they drove or if Sam had a destination in mind he didn’t know, but he did know one thing. Come hell or high water he wasn’t about to let that boy out of his sight for one minute. It was apparent that between whatever else Lilith had done and Dean’s death that the power inside him had finally taken over, perhaps for good. That thought had Bobby nearly sick with fear. He glanced up in the rearview mirror when a soft groan came from the backseat.

“Son of a bitch!” yelping he nearly drove right off the road.

Ruby slowly sat up, hands clutching her head, and groaned again. “I’m going to kill that bitch.”

“Girl, I thought you were dead. What the fuck happened in there?”

Blinking slowly, Ruby looked up, black gaze meeting Bobby’s in the mirror. “Oh, Lilith ain’t that damn bright, but she did a number on me.” Rubbing her temple she sighed as her eyes slipped back to human. “She possessed me—the bitch possessed me and…” she paused for a moment and then her eyes widened. “Sam?”

Bobby shook his head, “Gone all queer.”

Eyebrows drawing together Ruby sighed, “The hounds get, Dean?”

Biting his lip, Bobby looked away, and tried to focus on the Impala’s taillights. He didn’t want to talk about this especially not with a demon. Dean was dead, Sam was—God only knew what was happening to him, and everything had gone to hell in a hand basket in a blink of an eye. 

“I guess that answers my question,” she sighed leaning back in the seat, her eyes drifting shut. “That witless shit couldn’t just do what I told them too. Should’ve seen this cluster fuck coming a god damn mile away, but no--I had to think that the dickless wonder would finally come to his fucking senses.”

“Don’t speak ill of the dead you demonic bitch!” Bobby snapped, his foot pushing down harder, and the car roaring forward. 

Ruby lifted her head, her eyes narrowing in disbelief. “The dead—can’t fucking believe this. Of all of you I figured you were smarter than that, old man.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Bobby hissed through clenched teeth. “And don’t give me any bullshit, Ruby. My heart can’t take much more after what I saw.”

“Dean’s not dead and Sam knows it now.”

For the second time in less than five minutes, Bobby nearly drove into a ditch.

***

Before he’d been able to question Ruby further on what had to be the most insane theory ever, Bobby had to slam the brakes to keep from rear-ending the Impala. Swallowing back the bitter taste of stomach acid, he tried to calm his breathing. Ahead of him, the Impala idled for a few seconds and then turned into what appeared to be a field that edged the road, but turned out to be the equivalent of a dirt cow path that led into a wooded area.

“What in all that’s holy is that boy doin’?” Bobby shifted the car into gear and headed after him. 

Ruby chuckled, “You didn’t do all your homework.”

Lifting his gaze to the rearview mirror Bobby growled, “What the hell do you mean?”

“New Harmony, Indiana? Didn’t you think to check up on what happened to Old Harmony?” she sighed at the confused look Bobby aimed at her.

“Girl, you’d better cough up whatever you’re hidin’ or so help me God I’m gonna pull this car over and kick some demon ass.”

“Don’t get your panties in a bunch,” Ruby snorted. “I just figured a demonologist of your caliber would have known already. Long story short Harmony, Indiana founded by a group of pagans back in the early 1800’s. Unfortunately, one of their members called up something she couldn’t control in a fit of jealousy. The town completely obliterated. The lone survivor managed to close up the hole that his fellow pagan had ripped open, the hole that creature you know as Lilith crawled out of.”

Bobby’s eyebrows shot up, beneath the rim of his cap, “A Devil’s Gate.”

“You could say that, old man.”

“I’ll show you old when it comes time to send your ass back to Hell.”

Ruby began laughing, her eyes going black as pitch, “You aren’t sending me back to Hell, and neither is Sam. You need me.”

Snorting Bobby focused his gaze back on the Impala, “That boy and me, we need you about as much as a bad case of poison ivy on our balls. Whatever that demon bitch Lilith did she screwed herself.”

“As if I didn’t know that,” Ruby rolled her eyes as they shifted. “Who do you think released me from her possession? It sure wasn’t fucking Santa Claus.”

He sighed softly, “Sam did that—didn’t he?”

Smile widening, Ruby nodded, “Give that boy a cookie.”

***

By the time they’d made it to where they were going Bobby’s head was spinning with what Ruby had told him. A god damned Devil’s Gate—well at least something close to one. He hated that Ruby was being elusive, but the bitch was right. Whatever was happening to Sam she seemed to have the inside scoop and despite every urge to start spouting exorcisms, he held back. Wasn’t right to have a demon on a hunter’s side, not that it hadn’t happened before, but Bobby had an innate hatred of the buggers. John had been the only one outside Ellen that had ever heard the whole story. His Karen’s death wasn’t something he shared with just anyone, but those two knew what it was like. They’d both known the excruciating pain of losing their lovers to the darkness.

When the Impala came to a halt, he pulled the Chevelle up along aside it, and shut the engine off with a frustrated sigh, pocketing his keys. “Well, we’re here I’m guessing, wherever the fuck here is.”

“It’s the mounds,” Ruby whispered a hint of awe in her voice.

Bobby lifted his gaze from the steering wheel where his fingers flexed, knuckles white with the stress of anger. In front of them rising in the glow of the Impala’s headlights were a trio of small hills, but they weren’t anything of natures making. “Indian mounds?”

The sound of the car door opening made Bobby turn his head. Sam unfolded his tall frame from the car and he met Bobby’s gaze over the top of the car, eyes still milky with whatever power lay hidden behind them. Here in the darkness where no streetlight could trick the eye, Bobby could see the faint glow emitting from Sam’s eyes and a chill traveled up his spine. He’d had suspicions over the past year, hell even Dean had suspected, but Bobby had done his best to aleve Dean’s fears. 

Ruby’s voice was low and close to his ear, “Native American.”

“What?” Bobby turned, one eye still focused on Sam who was opening the back door.

Sighing, Ruby rolled her eyes, “Native Americans—guess even Hell is more politically correct than you humans.” He flashed a glare worthy of Lucifer himself at her and she cleared her throat nervously, “Look, Bobby, I tried to get him to…”

“I damn well know what you tried to get that boy to do.” He grunted as he flung the door open and slid from the car, “Seems that what you couldn’t get done, Lilith sure in the hell managed to accomplish.”

“It wasn’t Lilith.” 

Bobby turned to met Sam’s glowing eyes and he swallowed back the bile that began to rise in his throat. “Then who do I blame?” he choked out.

“No one,” Sam sighed as the light began to dim in his opaque eyes, “unless you want to blame a dead woman.” His eyes cleared for a moment and Bobby could see the kid he knew and loved behind the cold mask of power. “This is because of Mom.”

“Mary?” Bobby whispered.

Ruby stepped into his line of vision and slid a hand through her tangled hair. “So you discovered the secret mommy dearest kept even from daddy?”

Whipping his head around Sam aimed a glare at Ruby, “You don’t get to say shit about my mother. You could have stopped all of this,” he stepped towards her fists clenched and eyes filled with brightening light. “If I want any more shit from you—I’ll squeeze your head!”

With a gasping choke, Ruby fell to her knees, blood seeping from her nose and ears.

“Sam,” Bobby moved forward. “Listen to me, son. You can’t let this power rule you.” He tried to keep his voice even and calm, but as Ruby’s eyes shifted to demon black, he lost it.   
“Samuel Winchester, let her go! This ain’t going to bring Dean back god damn it!”

The glow in Sam’s eyes suddenly dimmed, his pupils breaking through. Ruby slumped to the ground gasping as Bobby reached out grasping Sam’s arms to search his now all too human eyes. He saw a great number of emotions; loss, grief, and anger, but the grief was the worse.

“Bobby, I…” his voice faltered and tears welled in his eyes, “I can’t…I need…”

He slumped into Bobby and began sobbing, the sound nearly tearing Bobby’s heart to shreds, “I know, son. I know.”

They stood there for what seemed an eternity, Bobby running his calloused fingers through Sam’s sweat dampened hair, and the only sound Sam’s heart wrenching sobs. After a few minutes, Ruby cleared her throat, “Hell of a way for…”

Bobby lifted his head, eyes narrowed and focused on Ruby. “Girl, you need to keep that mouth shut.” She opened her mouth as if to reply and whatever she saw in Bobby’s infuriated expression was enough to halt her.

Pulling back from Bobby’s embrace Sam swiped at his face, hands trembling, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Bobby turned to look straight in his eyes. “You got reason to grieve, Sam.”

“And if you’re thinking what I’m thinking then you might just get your brother back.” Ruby spoke up as she wiped the blood from her face. “This place is…”

“I know what this place is, Ruby.” Sam shot back, his voice cracking with emotion. “I don’t need your skanky ass to tell me that.”

Ruby snorted, “I see you’ve been taking lessons in how to be a pig from Dean.”

Before Bobby could even blink, Sam had Ruby pinned against the Chevelle, forearm pressed against her throat, “Don’t say his name,” Sam hissed through clenched teeth, “You haven’t earned the right. Bobby saved you once Ruby, trust me it won’t happen again. So I suggest you shut up and listen to me for a change.” A flicker of light slid through his pupils and Ruby raised her hands in surrender. “Good decision,” he backed up and headed back to the Impala.

“What the hell is going on, Sam?” Bobby demanded as he followed him around the rear bumper. 

Sam reached out bracing himself on the roof with his palms. “This place was called aөenani swaaminaateani by the Kickapoo tribe.”

“What does that mean and how in the hell do you know that?” Bobby questioned trying not to allow his eyes wander to the blood soaked bundle in the back seat.

Sam ran one hand over his face, rubbing the bridge of his nose, “Its literal translation is the rocks are purple, but the settlers who talked to them thought it meant violet hills. Their ancestors trapped Lilith in an underground world, created the mounds around the doorway to that world.” He sighed softly.

Glancing up at the mounds, still dappled with snow, Bobby noticed the tiny flowers for the first time. Their blooms closed in the dead of night. “Violets,” he whispered.

“Yeah,” Sam’s gaze followed Bobby’s as he studied the mounds.

Bobby released a soft breath, “They covered the damn things with violets for protection.”

“The base of each mound is surrounded with wolf’s bane as well,” Ruby added, “to hide a doorway in plain sight. They didn’t want any of their people to stumble into here and release her.”

Sam pulled Dean’s wrapped body from the back seat, “And the Kickapoo didn’t. They protected this place for centuries until they were driven from the land and then those stupid witches,” he spit the word at Ruby as he straightened up, “decided that it would be a good place to settle.”

Ruby’s eyes narrowed, “Don’t blame me. I was already in Hell by then, Sam. Stupid kids playing with what they didn’t understand set her loose.”

“How in hell’s fire do you know all of this, Sam?” Bobby demanded.

“Our mother was a descendant of the last remaining witch of that coven. He managed to escape Lilith’s wrath and seal the door, but he was messy. In the process, he left behind a wound he didn’t notice. That wound allows Lilith to travel between her world and ours. Dean didn’t go to Hell, Bobby. She ripped his soul out and sent it to the place that was once her prison. I can fix this—I can bring Dean back.”

Bobby was trying his damnedest to wrap his brain around everything Sam and Ruby had said. He’d always prided himself in being one hell of an expert on demons, but this was unbelievable. “Son, even if you could bring his soul back, his body is ravaged. A body that’s been torn apart by hounds--nothin’ can live inside it.”

Turning Sam smiled at Bobby, his eyes beginning to glow again, “Have some faith, Bobby.”

***

Ruby stood shoulder to shoulder with him as they watched Sam walk to the flat-topped mounds that loomed in the darkness. The burden in his arms seemed nothing as he carried it to the top. It was as if Dean were a sleeping child in his arms. Bobby’s vision blurred for a moment and he wiped angrily at his eyes. He knew he couldn’t stop Sam the power inside him was to strong now—Lilith had seen to that. Of course, he supposed that she had no idea that her plan would come back and bite her in the ass.

“Lilith is an idiot,” Ruby voiced his thoughts. “She should have never killed, Dean. I even knew that was the one thing would break down the walls. Azazel got his ass killed for screwing around and you’d think she would have learned not to play games after that.”

Bobby frowned, “Why’d you help me?”

She turned, eyes flickering black for a moment, then snorted, “You people still don’t get it—do you? Azazel, Lilith, their just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, Hell is divided. There are those who wish to claim earth through war for themselves. They’re the non-believers.”

He pushed back his cap, scratching his head, “Non-believers?” 

“Yep, even demons have faith, old man.” Ruby’s gaze drifted back to where Sam’s silhouette stood out against the glow of the waxing moon, “They don’t believe in Lucifer. If he ever walked the paths of Hell, none of them is old enough to remember. Then there are those who have faith he will come and release them upon the earth. Allow them their repentance. They want to walk among the humans, not destroy them per sea.”

Bobby pulled his cap back down as he watched Sam carefully unwrap the blankets. Maybe, he thought, demons were not as different as people were after all. There were people who were fighters and then there were followers. “What you told, Dean, about demons being human once—is that the truth?”

Sighing softly, Ruby brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. “Not completely. The demons like myself were and then there are those who were angelic beings once—the Fallen. Azazel was one of the Fallen. Some were humans cursed for their denial of your God’s word. Those demons are the Accursed. Lilith is one of them.”

“What about, Sam?” 

“What about him?”

He turned and studied Ruby’s emotionless expression, “He ain’t fully human, and that’s what Dean was scared of more than anything.”

“But he is human, Bobby,” she turned and met his gaze. “There are humans born into this world, every century that are touched by the Divine. The Divine is something beyond God and the Devil, the power from which all came. These humans are given these gifts and they chose the direction of the power.”

“I’ve never seen that anywhere,” Bobby grunted. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

Ruby’s body shifted nervously as the air stilled, “Because the time for games is over. What else did Dean tell you?”

“He told me that you said you were different from the others. That you remembered what it was like to be human. Was that another of your lies?”

“No,” she whispered, “I remember. Perhaps, it was the way I died. The hounds didn’t come for me like most who sell their souls for power. I died long ago, one of the few true seers taken into custody, burned alive and even now, I remember the smell of my own burning flesh, pain so intense that it’s indescribable. When my soul finally released from my body I entered Hell, and it was a relief. Nothing they could do to me was worse than what the so-called Church did to me?”

Bobby swallowed back bile as he digested what Ruby had just confessed. A sudden thought dawned on him and he cleared his throat, spitting on the ground. “Who were you in life, Ruby?”

“It doesn’t matter,” she replied, eyes drifting shut as her face turned up to the night sky. “I’m no longer that innocent girl. I haven’t been in centuries. I’ve spent that time trying to…”

“What?”

“Never mind, it’s not important. What’s important now is that Sam confronts his destiny. The final War is coming and if humanity is to survive then they will need a leader who can save them from that cold, dark December.” 

She turned walking into the darkness and Bobby allowed it—this time.

***

Whatever Sam was seeking to do, he did in silence.

There were no flashes of light, sonic booms, or massive explosions. From what Bobby could tell, he’d lain down next to Dean’s lifeless body and occasionally the wind would rise, carrying faint whispered words to his ears. He couldn’t understand them, but they sounded similar to Latin. He watched until he could watch no longer, exhaustion finally drawing him down. Going to the trunk of the Chevelle, he pulled out a container of salt and encircled both cars with a solid line then settled down in the driver’s side seat of his car, a loaded shotgun resting in his lap.

***

Bobby woke with a start, his hand going automatically for the knife at his waist, and was shocked to find himself in a place he’d never expected. “Son of a bitch, where in the—“

“This is Lilith’s home.”

He turned to see Sam standing next to him, his eyes glowing softly. “How in the hell did I get here?”

Sam smiled, “I brought you here.”

A frown drew Bobby’s eyebrows together as he studied the landscape if you could call it that. As far as the eye could see blackness stretched, an empty plain of writhing shadows. Above them, lines of what appeared to be energy, the color of ripe limes, crisscrossed the darkness. His eyes narrowed as he noticed that where the lines intersected there appeared to be human shapes. “Why would you bring me down into the pit with you? Jesus, Sam, I ain’t some damn superhero.”

“Maybe not, Bobby, but you’re the only one I trust completely. You’re also the only one who can speak flawless Latin without bursting into flame.” Sam sighed, “I need someone to watch my back.” He paused, opaque eyes lifting to study the grid above him, “He’s up there.”

“What?” Bobby’s eyebrows lifted in shock.

The corner of Sam’s mouth tipped in a faint smile, “Dean. His soul, everything he was, trapped in this place. Lilith has been snatching souls for centuries, drawing them down here with her seductive wiles.”

“Are you saying that demonic squirt is the Lilith of biblical mythology?” Bobby had never thought for a minute that the creature hunting Sam, the one who held Dean’s contract could be the Lilith who’d ran from the Garden. Nothing he’d ever read had led him to believe that she still existed. “So the crossroads demon…she was…”

Sam nodded, “One of Lilith’s children.”

“Holy Mother of Mary,” Bobby crossed himself. “Even if you’re right about Dean how in the hell do we find him, much less bring him back. His body was torn to shreds, son.”

“Lilith didn’t count on two things,” He turned to face Bobby tugging down his tee shirt to reveal the tattoo above his heart.”

Bobby stepped forward, squinting at the black lines, “Damn, boy, is that what I think it is?”

“Yeah,” Sam chuckled, “after you gave us those amulets we talked about it. Amulets are easy to lose and that particular version of the amulet is part of the reason she can’t hide him from me.”

“And what’s the other reason?” Bobby flinched as a howling filled the air.

Sam quirked one brow at Bobby, “Do you really have to ask?”

Turning he met Sam’s opaque inhuman eyes, “What do you…” he started then stopped mid-sentence, “…the amulet.”

“Yes,” Sam nodded, turning his gaze upward to the flickering lines of demonic energy. “I know you thought I would give it to Dad, but we…” his eyes lowered to the surreal landscape.

“Look, son, your daddy loved you more than he showed sometimes.” Bobby sighed.

“I know that now, but back then I was hurt. I looked up to him and he kept secrets, lied to me.”

Bobby studied his profile for a moment then spoke softly, “It was his way of protecting you, Sam. The man was determined not to lose you boys like he lost your mama.”

Straightening his shoulders, Sam gave Bobby a sidelong glance. “Well, look where that’s gotten us.” He spit out in bitterness.

“You’re alive aren’t you?” Bobby replied as he wondered what hid behind the white-hot glow of those eyes that studied him.

Sam snorted as he turned away, “Yeah, but at what cost, Bobby?”

***

This place was disturbing and if it weren’t Hell per se, it was still damn close. Bobby trailed Sam through the darkness, eyes sharp and focused. From the shadows red eyes watched, the sound of claws scraping on rock. Something was following them, but Sam was focused as a hound dog on a critter, and if Bobby was mistaken, he was scenting the air like one as well. It seemed like they’d been walking for days, but Bobby wasn’t tiring, and he wasn’t hungry or thirsty. Every once and awhile Sam would stop, eyes glowing softly and tilt his head, nostrils flaring as if he were hearing something only he could hear.

“Sam, what the hell are these things following us?” Bobby finally spoke, eyes flicking from spot to spot where the red eyes travelled their progress.

“Lilim,” Sam whispered, cocking his head again. “They won’t bother us.”

“How do you now that?” The sound of skittering caused Bobby to shiver and then the faint sound of squeaking like rats. “They’re demons ain’t they?”

Hushing Bobby, Sam looked up, a smile quirking the corner of his mouth up. “He’s near.”

Bobby’s eyes grew wide, “Dean?”

With a sharp nod, Sam reached out, light exploding from his hand, “Everto absum!”

Shrill shrieking filled the darkness at Sam’s words and his hand lit up like a candle’s flame. In the burst of light, Bobby could see twisted small shadows fleeing. The thought that they reminded him of Golum from J.R.R. Tolkien’s books popped in his head as one turned towards him before disappearing again. Emaciated bodies, twisted spines, and pasty skin with huge eyes the color of fresh blood. He wondered if perhaps Tolkien had known of these demonic entities when he created Golum. After all, his version had been a hobbit twisted by the darkness that the Ring had visited upon him.

“Come on, Bobby,” Sam called out tearing him from his whimsical thoughts. 

He shook his head, chuckling to himself and then turned towards Sam’s voice. “Holy Mother of God!” he yelped. In front of them was a spiraling cliff that rose up into the darkness and Sam was climbing it like a monkey. “Boy, do I look like I’m twenty?”

Sam laughed, loud and boisterous, “You can do whatever you believe here, Bobby!”

One eyebrow rising, he stripped off his over shirt, fashioned a sling for his shotgun, and looped hit over his shoulder. Despite his worry over Sam, the kid had yet to disappoint him, and he needed to trust him or he might not make it out of this nightmare. He reached out, grabbed the nearest overhang, and pulled himself up. The rock was cold to the touch, almost icy, unlike anything, he could imagine, and after a few seconds, he realized something. As he searched for footholds and handholds, the rock pushed out as if in answer to his search. Now he understood. This place was what you made of it with the power of your mind. After that realization, the ascent went far easier and quicker.

***

By the time they had reached the precipice, Bobby was sure that days had passed. He’d heard tales, even read accounts, of how time flowed differently in alternate dimensions. He gripped the edge of the towering stone, if stone was what it was, and pulled himself up. From up here they could see for miles and the crackling energy they’d seen from far below was now a tangled spider web of lines and human shapes. Bobby turned his gaze back to Sam who stood a few yards away and noticed that he was watching something that he couldn’t see. Moving across the shimmering obsidian rock, he stepped up to Sam’s left shoulder and his breath caught in his throat.

A bottomless pit of darkness descended downward into the rock, flames of ice blue licking at the dark walls, and dangling above it was a form he knew as well as his own. “Sweet Jesus in heaven,” Bobby swore as his gaze followed the line of the chains that stretched out from the walls. Each chain was the thickness of his wrist and located at the four compass points. They glittered in the light of the icy flames below and the eerie green of the energy web above and in the center of it all was Dean.

“I’m going to rip her apart.” 

Sam’s voice echoed through the still air, bending back on itself, and despite the white-hot glow of his eyes, Bobby could still see the pain reflected in them. Wet tracks crisscrossed Sam’s face as Bobby watched and he wished to God he knew what to say, but he was speechless. Suspended from those chains, massive hooks piercing his right shoulder and his torso on the left side, black sticky blood stained what little remained of Dean’s clothing. The flames below leapt upward, teasing at his back and where the flames touched icicles dripped down from his flesh.

“Sweet merciful Jesus,” Bobby swore softly and crossed himself. “How in the hell are we going to get him out of there?”

Sam stepped closer to the edge and a flow of Latin slipped from between his lips. The boy had always had a gift for languages, especially the ancient ones, but this time the words flowed as if music from him. “Audite mihi matris, audite mihi, quod tribuo mihi obduco.”

As Bobby watched, the ground that they stood on trembled and slowly began to stretch out into the open air that separated them from Dean. He caught himself holding his breath, eyes locked on the length of earth that flowed as if it were saltwater taffy stretched by an unseen hand. 

“Audite vestri parvulus quod tribuo obduco trans atrum tribuo.” Sam’s voice rose and there was a pleading tone to the words, “Meus frater dico ut mihi quod ego refero suus dico.”

Bobby understood the words, but he’d never heard them spoken with such passion. Releasing the breath in his lungs that had grown stale, he stepped closer as Sam lifted one foot. As Sam’s foot stepped out onto the slick surface, he could feel the ground tremble beneath them again as if it were breathing.

“They’re coming, Bobby.” Sam whispered, his gaze never leaving his brother. “Banish them.”

Spinning on his heel, Bobby saw the demonic creatures that had been watching them far below now gathering behind them. Their blood red eyes glowing with anger, lipless mouths twisted in snarls filled with rows of razor sharp teeth. Bobby stumbled back, his hand going for the shotgun in the sling. He’d seen a great number of beasts in his time, but these things took the cake. “I thought you said they wouldn’t hurt us?” he called over his shoulder pumping a round into the chamber.

“Yeah, that was before they knew we were here to steal their mother’s play toy.”

“Great, just fucking great, Sam,” Bobby growled low in his throat as he pulled the trigger. 

The blast of salt had the little critters scattering with animal snarls and the skittering of claws as he pumped another round into the chamber. Behind him, he could hear Sam’s voice the cadence soft yet filled with a power he’d never imagined even his darkest moments. He’d prayed to the god that he’d lost faith in all those years ago that he was wrong. He’d prayed that Sam wasn’t a darkling creature, and now he knew something had answered his prayers. No creature of demonic blood could recite anything in the holy language and no demonic thing could have this much compassion for a human. His original fears about Sam had laid to rest, but now—standing here in what amounted to hell as far has he was concerned—a whole new set of fears came into play.

That yellow-eyed son of a bitch had wanted to manipulate Sam, they all did, even fucking Ruby, and when he got back, he was going to put a bullet between the bitch’s eyes if she didn’t give him a damn good reason not to. The sound of claws skittering along the slick rock drew him back to reality as one of the lilim launched itself at him. He barely had time to pull the trigger and the salt exploded across its leathery skin in a shower of silver sparks. The thing howled in fury as each spot that the salt hit it began to glow as if it were the cherry of a cigarette burned nearly to ash. It scrabbled at its skin with bony-clawed fingers and Bobby figured he’d never heard anything as painful as that howl. 

“Holy water and the true holy names,” Sam called out.

Backing up Bobby pumped another round in the chamber, “Christo ain’t goin’ to do shit to these little bastards.” He fired the gun again, his ears ringing with the echo of screams, his nose twitching at the burnt edge of gunpowder mixed with rock salt, and the underlying scent of old blood.

“Not God’s name.”

He frowned at that and watched as the little bastard children of Lilith stopped short of where he stood, a faint glow emitting from behind him. To be honest he was terrified to turn around and see what Sam was doing behind him, but he had to turn. He could feel warmth at his back and it had nothing to do with the sweat that was dripping down his spine. Careful to keep one eye on the hissing lilim, Bobby turned and what he saw he would hold close to his heart for the rest of his life.

Sam was standing, legs braced, and feet planted firmly on a swell of obsidian earth, if it was earth, his entire body surrounded by silver-blue flames. His shirt was torn back to reveal his chest and the tattoo above his heart glowed with an eerie violet light that was close to black against his honey-gold skin. One hand was lifted as if he were halting someone and Bobby could see the source of the light and warmth—a small circular silver medallion. In Sam’s hand, it looked so tiny, but Bobby recognized the letters as Hebrew that edged the circle. 

The lilim edged back into the darkness, eyes narrowed, and their voices turning to terrified shrieks as Sam took a step forward, voice lifting up in a deep musical chant, “In the name of Yahweh, in the name of the soldiers of light sent to punish your mother. Senoy, Sansenoy, and Semangelof, they protect the children of Yahweh and over them you have no power!” 

Shrieks of anger and pain came from the gathered crowd as Bobby focused his attention back to where they scrambled from the widening curve of pure white light. One of the lilim darted forward as if to attack the light. Bobby’s finger tightened on the trigger blasting the bastard back into the darkness before he pumped another round and turned to Sam. “Where in all fired hell did you get that?”

Sam offered him an amused smirk, “It wasn’t easy to come by—trust me.” His gaze flicked to where Dean hung immobile, seemingly dead. “Drop the gun and use this.” With a smooth movement, he tossed Bobby the medallion. 

Catching it mid-air one handed, Bobby turned back and growled low in his throat. “Well you little bastards let’s show you how we hicks do it in South Dakota.” His voice dropped and he began chanting the three names he knew all too well from his research, “Senoy, Sansenoy, Semangelof guardians of mankind’s children. They hold the power to destroy you.” 

As the lilim skittered back from the white-hot glow of the medallion, the ground trembled again beneath Bobby’s feet. It took all his concentration not to look behind him and stay focused on the problem in front of him. Another tremor ran beneath his feet and he began reciting the Lord’s Prayer in Latin his voice rough with emotion. 

“Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum,” he flinched as he heard what he believed was the shriek of metal being tore apart, but continued without hesitation, “Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris.” Another shriek of metal caused the demonic creatures in front of him to hiss and hesitantly move closer to the ring of brilliant light that held them at bay. Bobby eyed them cautiously and swallowed hard before he yelled over his shoulder, “Sam, whatever the hell you’re doing you need to hurry up cause these lil’ bastards are getting braver.”

“Just keep reciting that Latin, Bobby!” Sam yelled back, his voice followed by more shrieking and snapping of metal.

Inhaling sharply, Bobby lifted his eyes to what passed for a sky in this nightmare and whispered beneath his breath, “Dear Lord, let us get out of here in one damn piece.” An animalistic hiss drew his gaze back to the wall of crimson-eyed shadows as he finished the prayer, “Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.” 

With that final word, the medallion grew so bright Bobby found himself blinded, dropping the shotgun and flinging his arm over his eyes. He was surprised that he wasn’t burning even though he could hear the lilim shrieking in pain. As the light continued to grow, he tried to scream for Sam, but he couldn’t seem to form the words. His fingers tightened around the medallion, fearful that if he lost his grip whatever protection it provided would be lost and so would they.

Suddenly everything went quite.

Slowly Bobby lowered his arm and in the core of the light, he saw two figures. He blinked and realized that it wasn’t just quiet, but that there was a total absence of sound. He squinted trying to make out the figures and as they drew closer, his throat tightened up with emotion. The first figure wasn’t someone he knew except from a single photograph that John Winchester had shared years ago when they had first met. She was beautiful, curvaceous, with a waterfall of golden hair that swirled around her face. Her eyes were familiar because he’d spent the last two years staring into them. John was right, Bobby thought, his boys had their mother’s eyes.

She smiled a brilliant flash that revealed a faint dimple at one corner of her lips. “Hello, Bobby.”

“Mary,” he whispered, “how?” 

Her smile widened and she turned a smear of opalescence following her movement as she motioned to the other figure. Bobby’s eyes widen as the other figure came into focus and tears welled in his eyes. The woman smiled at him as he choked out a faint sob, “Robert.” Her eyes sparkled as she reached out, one slender hand cupping his jaw, thumb swiping away the single tear that trailed down his face. “You’ve gotten older,” she whispered.

Bobby swallowed back the thickness in his throat, one hand rising hesitantly folding over hers, and he shook his head. “I can’t…this…” Her gaze overflowed with love as his breath stuttered out over his parched lips, “Karen,” he finally managed.

“Yes,” her smile brightened and her own tears began to fall.

“How can this be?” his gaze darted to Mary and her smile was filled with such understanding.

“There are many things that we don’t understand when we walk the earth, Bobby.” Mary paused, a searching expression in her eyes that reminded him so much of the two boys he’d taken beneath his wing. Sam and Dean had become the children that fate had robbed him of when the demons possessed his Karen, and to survive he was forced to kill the most important thing in his life. 

“I don’t blame you,” she spoke up as if she could hear his thoughts, her voice filled with compassion. “My death was meant to be, sweetheart. I only regret that I didn’t get a chance to tell you that we were going to be parents.”

Bobby choked, “Dear God.”

She shook her head, hair drifting around her face in a cloud of silk. “Don’t, Robert. You have to listen to me. The demon that possessed me was trying to take our babies before they were ever born.”

“Babies?” he questioned, anguish in his voice.

She nodded eyes bright with tears, “Twin boys. They were to be powerful children, Bobby. We wouldn’t have been prepared and so the power of light chose to withdraw their souls. The demon was furious, that’s why it attacked you, tried to kill you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Your ordeal happened in the spring of 1978,” Mary spoke up, “May 24, 1978. Nine months later one of the souls was sent back in the form of my first son.”

Bobby’s eyes widened, “Dean?”

Mary smiled, “I didn’t know then, but when Dean was two he suffered through what the pediatrician called night terrors. He told me that black smoke would come into his room and it spoke. It told him that it wanted his brother. Of course, he didn’t have a brother and John told me not to worry. I did though because of my family,” her cheeks flushed, “we weren’t your normal all-American family. My mother and father were hunters and so was I. I never told John because...” her voice trailed off and Bobby knew that she was holding back something. “I decided to do some research and when I did, I discovered things that no sane person would want to discover.”

“What did you find?” 

“Some things are better left unspoken.” Mary sighed as Karen reached out to settle her hand on Mary’s shoulder, fingers squeezing gently. “Let’s just say that I discovered Azazel and his plans for my family.” She glanced up at Bobby eyes bright with tears. “My family has possessed power on my mother’s side going back centuries. Some of us chose to cross into darkness, but I refused to let my children be seduced. I gathered my most trusted friends to my side. We planned and we fought to save Dean, but he wasn’t the one that Azazel wanted. When I discovered I was pregnant with Sam I began suffering nightmares, Azazel haunted my sleeping mind. When I saw him standing over Sam’s crib I knew. Nothing I could do saved my life, but I saved him that night.”

Bobby swallowed hard, “Sam and Dean…”

“Yes,” Karen moved back to face Bobby, “Sam and Dean are the same souls that were to be our boys. The light saved them, gave them new lives with a different family. I had to die so that you would learn what would protect our children in their new lives. Your destiny was to be a guardian to them and their father John. Without your help Azazel would have succeeded in taking Sam and killing Dean.”

“But, Sam…”

Karen smiled, “He discovered the power inside him for the side of light. The blood that Azazel fed him was but an end to a means. He used his power to suppress all that was light and powerful in Sam. He used his dark gift to track Sam and all those other children until he was ready.”

“Then Sam isn’t a demon…he’s only human. Just like Ruby said he was.”

Mary lifted her head, “Ruby, isn’t what you think, Bobby. She was once upon a time foolish enough to believe the demons that spoke to her. She needs to find forgiveness from the light and she is trying. Do you understand, Bobby?”

He considered Mary’s words and for a moment, the enormity of the conclusion he came to nearly bowled him over. Glancing from Mary to Karen then back to Mary, he shook his head. “She can’t be…”

“Yes,” Mary whispered, “she is.”

Then everything vanished around him in an explosion of brilliant light.

***

Bobby groaned shifting against the worn leather of the seat, his vision blurry as he desperately tried to focus. His arm ached from the palm of his hand up to his shoulder and as everything came back into focus, he realized he was setting in the driver’s seat of his faithful Chevelle. As he searched the darkness the blur of his vision began to clear and his gaze settled on Ruby, standing just outside the ring of salt that surround the two cars.

“He pulled you in with him—didn’t he?” Ruby spoke from the darkness, face hidden in shadows, and the moon at her back, “He pulled you to the other side to watch his back,” She shivered as the wind kicked up, stirring the salt, but not breaking the circle. 

A frown creased his brow as he glanced past the solid steel frame and mud-spattered glass of the Chevelle’s windshield to where the mounds rose into the night sky. “I was dreamin’ that’s all it was,” Bobby whispered beneath his breath, the memory of Karen’s soft touch stronger than it had been in thirty years. His eyes drifted shut and his fingers curled tighter into a fist. “It was real,” he finally sighed, “That boy dragged me into hell to save his…” his eyes flew open and he stood facing Ruby again. “Dean?”

Ruby cocked her head to the side as if she were listening to something she could only hear, the moonlight glinting off the obsidian surface of her eyes. “He’s here,” an amused smile played across her glossy lips, “Lilith underestimated, Sam. They never understood, but you do—don’t you Bobby?”

He nodded, “I saw things down there, girl. Things I hope to hell I’ll never see again.”

“And you saw things you never thought you’d see again.” Ruby turned glancing over her shoulder. “Did you really think that the powers that be would damn you for what you did? Sometimes we’re damned by our own stupidity and sometimes—well let’s just say we have to suffer to see the big picture.” She turned back to face Bobby, her eyes now very human and shining with tears.

“What Mary and Karen told me down there,” he questioned, “it was true—wasn’t it? You’re exactly who Mary said you were.”

Ruby smiled, grief bright in her eyes, “I was a fool. I thought the visions were from God. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I only saw what I wanted. You’ve always been better than that. You saw the truth, you did what you had to even though it broke your heart, and now they are giving you back everything you lost and so much more. Go to them, Bobby.”

Stepping over the ring of salt, Bobby started towards the mounds, and as he drew closer, he began to run. Everything he’d seen, everything he’d believed, had led him here to this moment. Beneath his boots, the sleeping violets crushed and the sweet scent of them filled his senses reminding of that long ago spring and the moment his life had changed forever. Now thirty years almost to the day his life was changing again in a way he would have never believed back then.

***

Sam was sitting beneath the waning light of the moon, very human eyes shimmering with tears of joy and fear. He’d never understood exactly how far Dean had been willing to go to protect his family. Even after all these years he could still remember the gentle touch of Dean’s hands as he’d bathed him, dressed him, the soft cadence of his voice as he read him bedtime stories. He recalled the pain in Dean’s voice when at the ripe old age of twelve he’d told Sam that their father was a super hero, that he fought the monsters. Some part of Sam had always known that their father was different. There were secrets he kept, but Sam had simply refused to acknowledge them because there were so many gaps in his memory.

Now he understood.

“Son,” Bobby’s voice was soft.

Laughing, Sam reached up and wiped the tears from his face with his free hand, the other curled beneath Dean’s deathly still body. “Takes on all new meaning now, don’t it?”

“You saw them, too.” 

It was a statement rather than a question and Sam smiled, “Yeah, I did.” He paused eyes lowering to Dean’s pale face, “I’m scared, Bobby.”

Bobby moved closer, one work-roughened hand settling on Sam’s muscled shoulder. “Don’t be. You went to hell and came back for him. I got faith in you, Sam.” Bobby glanced down at Dean and for the first time realized the wounds, inflicted on him by Lilith’s beasts, no longer bleed. Only faint pink lines remained against the smooth expanse of his skin. “You healed his body, now heal his soul.”

Nodding Sam inhaled, eyes drifting shut, and for a moment, the entire world seemed to come to a standstill. Bobby’s gaze drifted down to the ground beneath them, drawn by a faint luminous glow. At first, he believed that what he was seeing were fireflies and then he realized it was too early in the year for the tiny insects. As he watched, the tiny scattered blossoms began to raise their sleepy heads, petals opening as if they were drinking in the sunlight, but there was none. There was only the cold moonlight and Sam. Bobby lifted his head just as Sam’s eyes opened, no pupils, just the white-hot glow of distant stars, and the moon. 

Sam’s lips parted and a tumble of words fell from them, each one a plea. “Audite mihi matris, audite mihi abbas. Ego precor vos permitto meus frater vita. Tribuo mihi ops vigoratus suus animus. Permissum mihi redimio animus quod somes una ut unus.” With those final words, he gasped for breath, lips parting, and his eyes glowing even brighter. Drawing Dean’s body closer into the cradle of his arms he whispered softly, “Come back to me, Dean.”

A luminous mist exploded from Sam’s parted lips as he lowered his mouth pressing his lips to his brother’s lips. Bobby watched in astonishment as the light vanished between Dean’s lips, leaving a trail of luminous lines where the veins traveled beneath his cold skin. Pulling back, Sam moaned not in pain, but in something edging on pleasure as the light stretched out in ribbon strands as if it were fine-spun cotton candy. Slowly the last strands escaped from Sam and entered Dean. 

As it vanished, Sam’s head fell forward his eyes drifting shut and his lips pressed to Dean’s smooth brow. Bobby caught himself praying that whatever he’d witnessed would work not only for Sam’s sake, but also for the sake of the entire world. Without Dean, Sam was only half a person just as Dean had been lost without Sam. Everything that Karen had told him—if it had truly been Karen—made complete sense now. They were two parts of a whole, two souls meant for far greater things than either he or John had ever imagined.  
Suddenly the sound of Dean drawing in breath captured Bobby’s attention and he whispered softly, “Thank you, Lord.”

Thick dark lashes fluttered as Dean fought to open his eyes, his tongue darting out to lick across his dry lips. Finally, his eyes opened, unfocused, and the most beautiful shade of green that Bobby had ever seen in his life.

“Sammy?”

Dean’s voice was raspy and raw as if he’d been screaming and even though it had been his soul trapped in hell, Bobby had no doubt that Dean had screamed. He’d screamed for the only thing that had mattered to him, the other half of his soul.

Lifting his head weakly, Sam smiled at his brother, eyes bright with tears, and nearly the same shade of green. “Dean,” he whispered back as he pulled Dean into a tight embrace. “I knew you wouldn’t leave me.” He sobbed.

For once Dean didn’t bitch about chick-flick moments.

***

Six Months Later

 

Getting Dean home hadn’t been an easy task, but it had been worthwhile. Bobby had called Ellen and she’d taken his instructions to heart. She’d transformed the downstairs room that had once been his Karen’s sewing room into a bedroom for both Sam and Dean. It was for both of them only because Sam refused to leave Dean’s side. 

After that night, Dean didn’t say much and when he did speak, it was in whispers to Sam. Bobby imagined that he needed time coming to terms with what he’d experienced. Hell, he wasn’t even sure if Dean recalled anything of the time he’d spent in hell. If he did, he never spoke of it. He still bore the scars of his death and sometimes Bobby would catch Sam watching him as he worked out, fighting to become the man he’d been before. There was always a glimpse of guilt in Sam’s eyes, but it never lasted more often than not replaced by a look of deep and undying love. There were moments when Bobby wondered if there was more between them than he knew. On the other hand, he had no desire to find out. Whatever those boys had, it transcended human laws, and that was fine by Bobby.

For the past few months, Sam had been devouring anything he could get his hands on pertaining to Lilith and her children. He’d witnessed the exact same thing as Bobby and there were days Bobby worried that Lilith would find her balls and come after Sam again. Despite his fears, a peace descended over their daily lives and he often found his mind wandering to Ruby. The last time he’d seen her was right before Dean’s resurrection and honestly, he didn’t miss her. He just wondered if she’d found what she was seeking or if perhaps she was hiding in the shadows, waiting for a time, when Sam would need her knowledge again. Bobby was just glad she’d left her dagger behind, a weapon he had no doubt would come in handy sooner or later.

It was nearing the end of October and autumn was quickly melting into winter. Bobby had been careful not to go back into the woods since he returned, but no matter how much research or target practice he participated in with the boys he was unable to forget the image of his wife. No one had questioned him when Karen had disappeared that spring so many years ago. After all she’d been acting queer for some time and when he’d managed to drag himself into town after her death, he’d convinced the lot of them that she’d run off with Jasper Williams who’d disappeared around the same time. He’d had a reputation for being a hound dog so it wasn’t that big of a leap for the town folk to believe Bobby’s tale of woe and betrayal. 

Unknown to the town, Bobby had carried his beloved wife’s body deep in the woods, lain her to rest beneath a huge oak atop one of hills there, and later carved a protection symbol in the tree. As the years had passed, he noticed that the violets that covered the hill had grown thick and lush leaving him to wonder if perhaps some part of her remained behind. Usually he would march out there in the spring and set among the fragrant blooms, remembering the good moments, but this time he’d been a bit busy. Of course, he could have still visited, but he feared what he might find after his little side trip to hell courtesy of Sam.

Waiting until the sun began to rise he took off on foot, his newest dog at his heels, and trudged through the crisp pre-dawn air. Soft flakes of snow began to fall, the first of the year, and it seemed to insulate him from the rest of the world. So many years had passed, yet he could find his way as if he’d laid her to rest yesterday. When he reached the foot of the hill, he took a deep breath of cold air, and started up hands clenched in his jacket pockets. He was terrified and yet coming here was like coming home all over again.

When he reached the crest, he was shocked to see a cluster of violets beneath the oak, their fresh green leaves pushing up through the frosted leaves of autumn. Two perfect deep purple blooms entwined among the vibrant leaves, snow dusting them, and the sight had tears welling in his eyes. “Damn, Karen,” he mumbled as he knelt in the leaves, “I always kind of thought you might be lingering, but I couldn’t make myself salt and burn your bones.”

“No need, Bobby.”

He turned and smiled at the misty phantom of his long dead wife. “You know I never found anyone else. I couldn’t because I loved you too much, besides I spent too damn much time trying to be the hero that I never wanted to be. ”

Moving closer she knelt in the leaves next to him, “I passed on then chose to come back…to watch over you—my reluctant hero,” Bobby sighed as she leaned in ethereal lips brushing his weathered cheek in a soft kiss then whispered in his ear. “That Ellen seems to be a nice woman. I think she likes you.”

Bobby’s eyes widened as she pulled back with a brilliant smile. “Ellen? Dear Lord what would she want with an old fart like me?”

Her laughter was soft and filled with love, “You ain’t old. Make your dead wife happy and work that mojo of yours that captured my heart all those years ago. You’re a good man and you need a good woman to share this hero business with.”

A flush traveled up his neck and he glanced down at the leaves, the sound of J.D.’s barking in the distance making him chuckle. Damn dog spent more time chasing rabbits than anything else. He cleared his throat and pushed to his feet looking down into her gorgeous eyes, “I ain’t promisin’ anything, woman.” He snorted, “But if I have your blessing then I’ll try.”

“Good,” her spirit began to fade away, “but if you need me I’ll always come. I love you Bobby Singer.”

“Me too.” he replied as she vanished from sight.

Whistling for J.D., he headed back towards the house unaware that two sets of eyes watched from the trees. As Bobby disappeared from sight, Sam and Dean stepped from the shadows. Dean was the first to speak.

“You think she’s right, dude?”

Sam hummed thoughtfully, “About what?”

Snorting softly, Dean elbowed Sam, “Bobby and Ellen.” 

“I think she’s right that Bobby needs someone like I have.”

Quirking one eyebrow in curiosity, Dean poked at the leaves with his boot toe, “A basket case that survived hell and can’t figure out how to fit back into the outside world?” 

Sam reached out and grasped Dean’s chin, forcing him to look up, and as their eyes met he smiled, “No, the one man in this world that understands that normal isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” Then he leaned in kissing Dean slow and sweet.

~Finis~

 

Latin Phrase Translation Index

 

Everto absum!  
Be gone demons!

Audite mihi matris, audite mihi, quod tribuo mihi obduco.  
Hear me mother, hear me, and grant me passage.

Audite vestri parvulus quod tribuo obduco trans atrum tribuo.  
Hear your child and grant passage across the dark divide.

Meus frater dico ut mihi quod ego refero suus dico.  
My brother calls to me and I answer his call.

Audite mihi matris, audite mihi abbas  
Hear me mother, Hear me father

Ego precor vos permitto meus frater vita  
I beg you to allow my brother life

Tribuo mihi ops vigoratus suus animus  
Grant me the power to heal his soul


End file.
